calibrate
Americanverb (used with object)
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calibrates,
present (3rd person singular)
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calibrated,
past participle, past
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calibrating
present participle
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to determine, check, or rectify the graduation of (any instrument giving quantitative measurements).
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to divide or mark with gradations, graduations, or other indexes of degree, quantity, etc., as on a thermometer, measuring cup, or the like.
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to determine the correct range for (an artillery gun, mortar, etc.) by observing where the fired projectile hits.
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to plan or devise (something) carefully so as to have a precise use, application, appeal, etc..
a sales strategy calibrated to rich investors.
verb
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to measure the calibre of (a gun, mortar, etc)
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to mark (the scale of a measuring instrument) so that readings can be made in appropriate units
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to determine the accuracy of (a measuring instrument, etc)
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to determine or check the range and accuracy of (a piece of artillery)
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To check, adjust, or standardize a measuring instrument, usually by comparing it with an accepted model.
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To measure the diameter of the inside of a tube.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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calibraternoun
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calibrationnoun
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calibratornoun
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recalibrateverb (used with or without object)
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uncalibratedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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calibratesimple
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calibratessimple
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have calibratedperfect
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has calibratedperfect
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am calibratingprogressive
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are calibratingprogressive
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is calibratingprogressive
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have been calibratingperfect progressive
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has been calibratingperfect progressive
Past
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calibratedsimple
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had calibratedperfect
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was calibratingprogressive
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were calibratingprogressive
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had been calibratingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of calibrate
Explanation
The word calibrate means making precise measurement. For example, you might want to calibrate your bathroom scale now and then to be sure it’s adjusted for exact weight. Or calibrate it to read five pounds light. We won't tell. To find the origin of calibrate, we must look at its root, caliber, which appeared in the late 15th-century Middle French as calibre, meaning "a degree of importance." Linguists trace that word to an Arabic beginning, the word qalib, which referred to a mold for making bullets. That meaning seems to have carried over to our word, the verb calibrate, which first meant to measure the range of a projectile such as a bullet or shell.
Vocabulary lists containing calibrate
The Fault in Our Stars
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"The Leap," Vocabulary from the short story
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The Invention of Hugo Cabret
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Warsh said this “new chapter” in Fed communications will leave markets on their own, and allow the central bank to calibrate information to deliver price stability.
From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026
So now we’re able to calibrate between the two eras and mix them, which is exciting.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 2026
The flyby also provides an important chance to test and calibrate the spacecraft's science instruments before it reaches the asteroid in 2029.
From Science Daily ● May 11, 2026
Coaches today have to calibrate how loud they can yell and how many laps they can demand.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 10, 2026
It’s true that every writer must calibrate the degree of specialization in her language against her best guess of the audience’s familiarity with the topic.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
McDonald’s frequently calibrates its machines to ensure the right amount of Coke syrup concentrate in its sodas to help retain their flavor even after ice cubes melted in the drinks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 13, 2026
The cartoon well calibrates its PG thrills to give kids a mild case of the shivers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2025
He carefully calibrates his criticisms of Mr Putin.
From BBC ● Jan. 31, 2024
Jordan calibrates the competing emotions with direct, unfussy skill, allowing “Creed III” to unfold in ways that don’t necessarily break the mold but prove enormously satisfying nonetheless.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 28, 2023
Such a number calibrates crudely what humans know.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
It has presumably been engineered by a team, calibrated for refrigeration and focus-grouped into broad acceptability, yet it feels made by no one.
From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026
Even though Social Security’s cost-of-living adjustments are meant to protect purchasing power, “they’re calibrated to the wrong basket of goods for older Americans,” said Ronnie Cox, investment director at Human Interest, a financial advisory service.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026
Radiocarbon measurements must be calibrated because the amount of carbon-14 in the atmosphere has changed over time.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 28, 2026
Although it was better to have purchased too much PPE in a pandemic than too little, it would "clearly have been better if supply had been calibrated more closely with demand", the report concluded.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
The extra time in the car was throwing off our carefully calibrated intermix ratio.
From "Darius the Great Is Not Okay" by Adib Khorram
“We see very high demand for our compute products, we’re working hard to meet demand and we’re constantly calibrating and assessing what it will do to the total available market in the future,” Feng said.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 25, 2026
By uncovering these previously hidden dynamics, the findings reshape how scientists think about testing and calibrating superconducting quantum processors.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 20, 2026
Eileen was always kind of calibrating, “I know you very well, but what are you up to?”
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 4, 2025
This talent for precisely calibrating the elements that convey status and fashionability is probably possible only in someone with intimate knowledge of social insecurity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 28, 2025
Warriors were now in place from every world where Lord Asriel’s rebellion had supporters; mechanics and artificers were fueling aircraft, loading weapons, and calibrating sights and measures.
From "The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
